Tree exhibition!

Wood Work (elephant) (2009)

Wood Work (alligator) (2009)

Peacock (2009)

Fabric Installation (2009)

Collage (2009)

Watercolour (2006)

This work was done on my grade 10 camp. Each day of the camp we would paint the surface however we chose, after washing off the painting of the day before. Gradually layers of colour formed. On the last day we were asked to look at our work and draw out an object or symbol and paint it. In my work, i saw a winding ladder/ a horn.

Self Portait (2005)

The final print does not include any black and white, only colour. The lack of a recognisable object represents the freedom, possibility and mystery of the future. Vivid colours were used because I had a very hopeful vision of the future- and I was right!

The fourth print symbolises the tipping point (just before the presidential election). The knife is standing on points end and could fall either way. The external pressure is the influence of all the events leading up to that moment. There is only a small space left that is black and white.

The third print was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr and what he was fighting for. It symbolises the beginning of the end of segregation. More colour has been introduced.

The second print depicts the wounds and scars of a slave. This image was copied from a real photograph. The colour red is incorporated to highlight the brutal treatment they endured.

The first print depicts an African wooden sculpture left in the dust, symbolising how African people were 'stolen' from their land, sold into slavery and forced to leave their old lives behind.

Untitled (2008)

This was my some of my last work in grade 12. The medium is printing (dry point and collograph) with watercolour over the top. The theme for this work was "the 21st century" and I chose to investigate the possibility Barack Obama becoming the first black president in the U.S (this was before he was elected). I chose to create a pictorial and conceptual timeline depicting the progression of equality for African-Americans. There are five different prints and colour is gradually added into each print to represent the positivity of this progress towards equality.

Ashes to Ashes (Cont'd)

Ashes to Ashes (2008)

This piece is made out of modeling clay (i think it was paper clay) and painted with acrylic. There are three components; the skull, arm bone and part of a rib cage.

Ashes to Ashes makes a social comment about society's perception of death and the afterlife. Death is an uncomfortable subject to say the least Our fear of the unknown drives us to percieve death as daunting and overwhelming. It is surrounded by negative connotations. I wanted to challenge the stereotypical representation of death with my piece. I am a strong believer in cremation and returning to the earth when we die. Death is an inevitable part of our journey and it does not have to be feared. My piece presents the idea of death as beautiful and natural and suggests becoming a part of nature after death as a freeing possibility.

The bones are covered in organisms such as grass, leaves, flowers, fungi, sticks and insects made out of clay and sand and glue for moss. Bright greens, oranges and blues combined with earthy browns and greens and yellows balance the piece and [hopefully] inspire an optimisitic attitude in the viewer.

Weapon of Rage (2008)

This was the first piece I made in my senior year at school. It is a mixed media piece that includes acrylic paint, sand, ink, stencil and wire. It reflects my belief that peace cannot be achieved through war, using the 1960's radical organization Weatherman as an example. Weatherman orchestrated one of the first domestic terror campaigns in the US in protest to the war in Vietnam. A few years after the organisation was formed, three members were killed in the Greenwich Village explosion; the bomb they were preparing for an attack blew up.

The canvas arrangement signifies the dynamite that killed the members of Weatherman. It is ingrained with a photograph taken of members during a riot known as days of rage which is reconstructed in my own painting style. I used only warm colours and black to create signify the aggressive and violent attitude of the group. The image is framed by bricks representing the town house that the members tragically died in. Magenta ink is the blood seeping through.

I believe that it is the weapons that prevent war from leading to piece. Despite their 'good intentions', the bomb ultimately killed them. Their weapon, like all weapons, had only one function and that was to cause destruction. After all, a bomb can't decipher what side it is fighting on.

Inside Out, Outside In (2007)

This was a sculpture/installation done within the unit "figure". It was constructed out of wire, chicken wire, material and styrofoam balls. It's a bit of an exploration of soul vs body. This is the accompanying artist statement:

The soul: according to many religious and philosophical traditions, the soul is the self-aware essence unique to a particular living being. It is considered immortal. The body: relating to humans, it is the physical structure of the human organism that holds the gift of life. The body and the soul are in complete contrast; while one is a matter of faith, the other is the fabric of our reality. While the soul cannot be seen, people are desperate to believe it exists, to ensure their individuality and immortality. However, the body which can be seen and felt is critcized when it is different to the majority, and is slowly killed by destructive lifestyle habits.

My composition, Inside Out, Outside In, explores the value of an individuals soul in comparision to the value of their body. The two figures hang off opposite ends of the 'scale' symbolizing this debate. More specifically it looks at the worth of the individuals spirituality - their belief in something greater than the physical, material world - as opposed to the individuals fixation on their impermanet body - the vessel used to live out thier relatively short lives. The figure hanging on the left represents the soul showing what is on the inside with the material indicating that there is something underneath even though we cannot see it. The figure on the right represents the body with the markers placed where the skin would be while leaving the inside completely empty. Their position on the two sides of the scale in important to the main message of balance. I beleive that balance is crucial to every aspect of life. The figures are the same size and height in recognition of both the body and soul being of equal importance.

Life Drawing (2007)

These are some of the sketches I did at QCA. There was a short time limit for each sketch and we were encouraged to try different types of pencils, charcoal, crayons, coloured pencils etc.

Mixed Media (2007)

As part of the theme at school “surface to surface” the surface of this piece was worked with sand, modeling compound, tissue paper, acrylic paint, pastels and wire. It depicts the road out of the camping ground near Byron I stayed at for grade 11 art camp.

Watercolour (2007)

This piece was inspired (i guess you'd say) by Claus Oldenburg, or the idea of placing an object out of context. I did this in grade 11 and found I really liked working with watercolours. It's now hanging in my grandparents living room:)
p.s excuse the dodgy edges.

the start

Alrighty! I'm actually doing this. Feels good.

This will be the electronic home of the art i spit out. I hope it will be happy here (i think it will be). I'm into my second semester - first year - at art school, and i love love it. There is so much freedom which at first was a real shock to me, i was like what the hell am i meant to do!! I'm slightly getting used to it now...

If i can figure out how, i'm going to put up some old type stuff first though. From high school:) i loved high school art by the way. I have such GREAT memories! It was this amazing cruizy positive environment. There was this great view, lots of open windows and we always had some killer tunes playing. ahh. Yeah i miss that. I don't feel as comfortable in my uni studio, i think because it's all seperated into corners and corridors. And there isn't any windows. No view no breeze. And no music.!. Wow, sad. But i'm transforming my room into a bit of a studio which is nice.